Shuffle feed sorting structure



Aug. 30, 1966 R. K. DAUGHERTY SHUFFLE FEED SORTING STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 29, 1964 INVENTOR. RALPH K DAUGHERTY Aug. 30, 1966 R. K. DAUGHERTY 3,269,535

SHUFFLE FEED SORTING STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 29, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. RALPH K DAUGHE/PTV Aug. 30, 1966 R. K. DAUGHERTY SHUFFLE FEED SORTING STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 29, 1964 INVENTOR. RALPH A. DAUGHERTV whim ATTOQNEVS z- 30. 1966 R; K. DAUGHERTY 3,269,535

SHUFFLE FEED SORTING STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 29, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. PAL PH K. DAUGHE/PTV ATTOR/VE V5 Aug. 30, 1966 R. K. DAUGHERTY SHUFFLE FEED SORTING STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Sept. 29, 1964 INVENTOR. RALPH K DAUGHE/PTV United States Patent 3,269,535 SHUFFLE FEED SORTING STRUCTURE Ralph K. Daugherty, San Jose, Calif., assignor of one-half to Genevieve I. Magnuson and one-half to Genevieve I.

Magnuson, Robert Magnuson, and Lois J. Fox as trustees of the estate of Roy M. Magnuson Filed Sept. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 399,916

9 Claims. (Cl. 209-98) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 107,420, filed May 3, 1961, now abandoned, and entitled, Sorting Structure.

The present invention relates to shuffle feed sorting structure for use with elongated articles such as French fried potatoes and the like and is concerned more particularly with an improved sorting structure in which articles such as potato slivers and nubbins will be sorted out during the feeding operation.

It is the general object of the invention to provide an improved shuflle feed sorting structure.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved shufile feed sorting structure for elongated articles which will remove articles which are too narrow to be used in the finished product.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved shufile feed sorting structure which will remove articles which are too short to be used in the final product.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved shufile feed sorting structure of the above character in which a plurality of shufile feed members are mounted for movement to vary the spacing from adjacent shuffle feed members and the dimension of the sorting openings.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a shuffi'e feed sorting structure of the above character in which the supporting means for a portion of the shuffle feed structure includes means for varying the spacing thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partially in section, showing a shufile feed sorting structure embodying the instant invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal fragmentary sectional view showing details of the shuffle feed sorting members;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view taken in a plane indicated by the line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing a different group of the shufiie feed sorting members;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view taken in a plane indicated by the line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 and 4 but illustrating another group of the shuffle feed sorting members;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view taken in a plane indicated by the line 7-7 in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 7 but showing a modified form of sorting members.

FIGS. 9 through 14 illustrate a second preferred form of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the shuffle feed sorting structure;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary plan view taken as indicated by the line 1010 in FIG. 9 and illustrating the supporting links at one side of the sorting structure;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken in planes indicated by the line 11-11 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a portion of the shufiie feed sorting members illustrating their adjustment with uniform spacing;

Patented August 30, 1966 FIG. 13 is a fragmentary enlarged view similar to a part of FIG. 9 in illustrating the method of adjustment of the shufile feed sorting structure;

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 12 but showing the shuffle feed sorting structure in a different adjustment for effecting a sorting action; and

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view partly in section showing details of the connection between the lever arm and indicator plate.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a shufile feed structure including a supporting framework 10 above which a shuffle feed sorting structure 12 is supported by four sets or pairs of parallel links 13 and 14 from a pair of channel members 15, only one of which is seen, supported on the crosspipes 16 which are mounted in suitable fashion on the frame structure.

The shuffle feed sorting structure 12 per se comprises similar sets of independently supported and alternately arranged shuffle members 26 and 27 (FIGS. 1 and 2) which are fabricated from sheet metal and are mounted in inclined position. These shufile feed members 26 and 27 each have a long upwardly facing article supporting face 28 and a short upwardly facing article feeding and supporting face 29, which are generally disposed at an angle of degrees to each other. One series of shuffle feed sorting members 26 extends between and are bolted to opposite frame members 31, only one of which is seen, which aid in confining articles within the width of the shuffi'e feed structure. The rigid structure comprising the opposite side frame members 31 and the shuffle sorting members 26 are supported by the four parallel links 14, only two of which are seen. The other shuffle feed sorting members 27 are carried by angles 33 from a lower pair of opposed side frame members 34 which are supported by four parallel links 13, only two of which are seen. The sets of shufile feed sorting members are driven in opposite directions by means including a variable speed drive motor 41, a suitable belt and pulley means 44, and a shaft 46 carrying respective pairs of eccentrics 51, only one of which is seen, a similar eccentric 51 and a link 54 being provided for each of the sets of shufile members.

It will be noted that the shuffle feed sorting members in their entirety move in opposite directions and are driven simultaneously so that relative motion is provided between the shufile feed members so that each short article feeding face 29 serves to slide or move an article across the adjacent long article supporting face 28 of each of the shuffle feed sorting members 26 and 27 during their reciprocation.

The above structure is all conventional and is of the type described in Patent No. 2,792,929.

In order to effectively carry out the sorting method of the instant invention, the shuffle feed members are divided into a plurality of groups which perform distinctive function-s insofar as the control of the elongated articles such as French-fried potatoes is concerned. The first group of shuffle feed members illustrated in FIG. 2 comprise an article aligning portion of the shuffle feed storing structure, and it will be seen that the short upwardly facing article feeding and supporting face 29 of these shufile feed sorting members is provided in part by a substantially angle-shaped strip 52 having one flange 51 secured to each shuffle member and extending downwardly toward the article supporting face 28 of the adjacent shuffle feed sorting member, there being a space 53 provided by the bottom flange 52a of the angle-shaped member 52, which is too narrow to admit any of the elongated articles being sorted. Preferably, the fiange 52a is bent away from the adjacent surface 28 to minimize wedging of any article therebetween. This first group therefore serves in the same way as a normal shuflle feed structure to receive a group of indiscriminately arranged elongated articles and to arrange these articles in parallel lengthwise relation with the length extending transversely with respect to the machine so as to progress articles from trough to trough of the shufile feed sorting structure.

FIG. 4 illustrates the second group of the shuffle feed sorting members, the angle members 52 forming the face .29 having been adjusted to a different spacing 54 which is wide enough to admit narrow articles such as potato slivers and allow them to pass between the shuffle feed sorting -members and to be discharged into a pan 55 (FIG. 1). As a result of the sorting action of the second group of .shufile feed sorting members, the articles of a width or thickness greater than the space 53 will be advanced onto 'the third group of shuffle feed sorting members.

The third group of shufile feed sorting members is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, and in this section of the shufile .feed sorting structure, each face 29 is formed by an angle 56 having a series of notches 57 therein. As seen in FIG. 7 the notches 57 are in staggered relation from shuffle feed sorting member to shuffle feed sorting member so that each successive group of three members the entire width of the sorting structure is covered. In this way short lengths of articles or potato nubbins will pass through, and the final product will be of the desired character. As the elongated potato strips are advanced over the third group of shufile feed sorting members, the notches 57 effect removal of the nubbins or'shorter lengths of the strips so that the final product passing over the discharge end of the shuffle feed sorting structure will be a group of elongated articles ofat least the desired width or depth and of at least the" desired length for the final ,product, such as French-fried potatoes, for example.

In FIG. 8 there is shown a modification wherein the face 29 is composed of two notched members 58 and 59, the member 59 being slotted at 61 and being secured at a desired adjusted position by clamping screws 62 so that the nubbins-passing slots or openings 63 can be adjusted to a desired width.

Referring to FIGS. 9 through 14, there is illustrated another preferred embodiment of the invention wherein similar parts are given similar numbers. In the embodirnent shown in FIGS. 9 through 10, means is provided for sorting by varying the spacing apart of the shufile members with respect to each other, and the shuflle members are connected for simultaneous adjustment of this spacing so that the desired thickness of the article to be fed or article not to be fed can be set quickly and easily.

Referring to FIG. 9, the supporting links 13 and 14 are connected respectively to bracket members 71 by :pivotal connections of a generally conventional sort and including a pivot pin 72 for each of the links 13. These pivot pins 72 (FIG. 9) are threaded into a pivot shaft 73 in an eccentric position, and; this pivot shaft 73 is pivotally received in the plate 71 and a collar 74 attached thereto. The two pivot shaft 73 for opposite members 13 are connected by a shaft 76. The shaft 76 has secured thereto a lever arm 77 (FIGS. 9 and 11) which extends upwardly and is pivotally connected at the left of FIG. 9 to a link 78 which, at its other end, is pivotally connected to the lever 77a which extends upwardly and has as its upper end a clamping nut 80 in a screw 81 carried by the lever 77a. A clamping member 82 is provided which, with the end of lever 77a, can be clamped to an arcuate indicator plate 83 which may 'bear indications of the desired spacing apart of the two shuffle feed structures.

When the clamping nut 80 and the lever 77a are at the extreme right as indicated in the dotted lines in FIG. 9, the shuflle feed members 26 and 27 as seen in FIG. 12 are equally spaced apart and are set for ordinary feeding operation. As the eccentric adjustment is changed by rotation of the lever 77a, the spacing can be varied to a 'rnaximum, as shown in FIG. 14, for example, where alter- :nate valleys of the shufile feed sorting structure operate as pure feeding members with no sorting, and the sorting out of narrower dimensioned articles such as sliver formed French-fried potatoes will occur in the other alternate set of sorting valleys as seen in FIG. 14. If rubber torsion pivot members are employed and the movement from a relaxed position involves placing rubber under torsion, the adjustment between the shuffie feed members is always made with these torsion pivot members in a relaxed position.

It will be obvious that the invention may be incorporated also in a shuttle feed structure having one series of shuffle feed sorting members fixed and the other series movable as is common in many shufile feed structures.

It is apparent also that the shuflle feed sorting structure can be arranged to sort out only slivers, i.e., narrower articles, or to sort out only nubbins, i.e., shorter articles.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will 'be apparent that the invention is capable of modification and variation from the form shown, so that the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the proper scope of the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. A shuffie feed sorting structure comprising a frame a first set of transversely disposed shuffie members carried by said frame, a second set of transversely disposed shuffle members interposed between the shuflle members of said first set in alternating relation therewith, means ,mounting at least one set of said shufile members for reciprocation longitudinally of the structure in parallel relation with respect to the other set of said shuffle members to provide a valley-to-valley progressing action for ,a row of articles supported by the shuflle feed structure,

said shuffle feed structure being divided into at least two groups or sections of shuffle members from the feed to the discharge end thereof, means providing a spacing between adjacent shufie members of said respective sets in said first group of a narrow character to prevent movement of an article between said shuffie members, and means providing a larger spacing between adjacent pairs of said shuffle members of said respective sets in said second group to provide for separation of narrow articles of a row by moving between said adjacent pairs of shuffle members and for progressing thicker or wider articles of a row thereover, said shuffle members in said first group serving to align said elongated articles for progression .thereover transversely of their length, and said shuffle members of said second group providing for sorting of said narrower articles from said thicker articles.

2. A shufile feed sorting structure comprising a frame, a first set of transversely disposed shufile members carried by said frame, a second set of transversely disposed shuffie members interposed between the shuifie members of said first set in alternating relation therewith, means mounting at least one set of said shuffle members for reciprocation longitudinally of the structure in parallel relation with respect to the other set of said shuttle members to provide avalley-to-valley progressing action for rows of articles supported by the shuffle feed structure, means providing a larger spacing between adjacent pairs of said shuflle members of said respective sets to provide for separation of narrow articles of a row by moving between said adjacent pairs of shuffle members and for progressing thicker or wider articles of a row thereover.

3. A shufile fee-d sorting structure comprising a frame, a first set of transversely disposed inclined shuffie members carried by said frame, a sec-0nd set of transversely disposed inclined shuffle members interposed between the shuffle members of the first set in alternating relation therewith, means mounting at least one set of said shuffle members for reciprocation longitudinally of the structure in parallel relation with respect to the other set of shuffle members to provide valley-to-valley progressing action for rows of articles supported by said shufiie feed structure, and means spacing at least certain of said shuffle feed members apart to provide sorting and grading openings between adjacent pairs of said shufiie members, the sorting opening for a particular article being provided below the active progressing shuffle member engaged therewith, thereby providing for separation of narrow articles of a row of a given dimension or less by movement thereof between said adjacent members and thereby failing to be fed forward while articles of a row of a dimension greater than said given dimension continue to be fed along said shuflle feed.

4. A shufiie feed sorting structure comprising a frame, a first set of transversely disposed inclined shufile members carried by said frame, a second set of transversely disposed inclined shuffle members interposed between the shuffie members of the first set in alternating relation therewith, means mounting at least one set of said shufile members for reciprocation longitudinally of the structure in parallel relation with respect to the other set of shuffle members to provide a valley-to-valley progressing action for rows of articles supported by said shuffie feed structure, means spacing at least certain of said shuffie feed members apart to provide sorting and grading openings between adjacent pairs of said shufiie members, the sorting opening for a particular article being provided below the active progressing shuffle member engaged therewith, thereby providing for separation of narrow articles of a row of a given dimension or less by moving between said adjacent members and thereby failing to be fed forward while articles of a row of a given thickness above said given dimension continue to be fed along said shuflle feed, and means for relatively adjusting said certain shufiie feed members, to widen the sorting opening existing in one set of alternate pairs of said shuffle members and close or narrow the opening between the other set of alternate pairs of said members to effect a sorting dis charge of articles of a row between one set of alternate pairs and to feed the articles in the other set of alternate pairs.

5. A shuflle feed sorting structure comprising a frame, a first set of transversely disposed inclined shuffle members carried by said frame, a second set of transversely disposed inclined shuffle members interposed between the shufile members of the first set in alternating relation (therewith, means mounting at least one set of said shufiie members for reciprocation longitudinally of the structure in parallel relation with respect to the other set of shuffle members to provide a valley-to-valley progressing action for rows of articles supported by the shuffle feed structure, means spacing at least certain of said shufi le feed members vertically apart to provide sorting openings between said certain adjacent pairs, and common adjusting means for simultaneously varying the spacing apart of said certain adjacent pairs of shuffle feed members.

6. A shufile feed sorting structure, as recited in claim 5, in which said adjusting means comprises a plurality of supporting links for one set of shuflle feed members and means for varying the length of said supporting links.

7. A shuflie feed sorting structure, as recited in claim 5, in which said adjusting means comprises a plurality of supporting links for one set of shuffle feed members and adjustable supporting eccentrics for each of said support ing links.

8. The method of sorting elongated articles such as French-fried potatoes, which comprises first aligning the articles in lengthwise parallel relation and pushing the articles transversely of their length over a surface by a pushing effect applied at a given spacing above said surface to subject them to a thickness-sorting effect and eliminate articles below a given thickness by failing to progress them and continuing to push the articles of said given thickness or over across the surface.

9. The method of sorting elongated articles such as French-fried potatoes, which comprises first aligning the articles in lengthwise parallel relation and pushing the articles transversely of their length over a surface by a pushing effect applied in one direction at a given spacing above said surface while moving the surface in an opposite direction to subject them to a thickness-sorting effect and eliminate articles below a given thickness by failing to apply said effect thereto and continuing to push the articles of said given thickness or over across the surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,463,578 3/1949 Tyler 209- 88 2,5 49,3 16 4/ 19-51 Kremer 209- 99 2,792,929 5/1957 Magnuson 198--218 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,057,087 10/1953 France.

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Examiner. 

1. A SHUFFLE FEED SORTING STRUCTURE COMPRISING A FRAME A FIRST SET OF TRANSVERSELY DISPOSED SHUFFLE MEMBERS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME, A SECOND SET OF TRANSVERSELY DISPOSED SHUFFLE MEMBERS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE SHUFFLE MEMBERS OF SAID FIRST SET IN ALTERNATING RELATION THEREWITH, MEANS MOUNTING AT LEAST ONE SET OF SAID SHUFFLE MEMBERS FOR RECIPROCATING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE STRUCTURE IN PARALLEL RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER SET OF SAID SHUFFLE MEMBERS TO PROVIDE A VALLEY-TO-VALLEY PROGRESSING ACTION FOR A ROW OF ARTICLES SUPPORTED BY THE SHUFFLE FEED STRUCTURE, SAID SHUFFLE FEED STRUCTURE BEING DIVIDED INTO AT LEAST TWO GROUPS OR SECTIONS OF SHUFFLE MEMBERS FROM THE FEED TO THE DISCHARGE END THEREOF, MEANS PROVIDING A SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT SHUFFLE MEMBERS OF SAID RESPECTIVE SETS IN SAID FIRST GROUP OF A NARROW CHARACTER TO PREVENT MOVEMENT OF AN ARTICLE BETWEEN SAID SHUFFLE MEMBERS, AND MEANS PROVIDING A LARGER SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT PAIRS OF SAID SHUFFLE MEMBES OF SAID RESPECTIVE SETS IN SAID SECOND GROUP TO PROVIDE FOR SEPARATION OF NARROW ARTICLES OF A ROW BY MOVING BETWEEN SAID ADJACENT PAIRS OF SHUFFLE MEMBERS AND FOR PROGRESSING THICKER OR WIDER ARTICLES OF A ROW THEREOVER, SAID SHUFFLE MEMBERS IN SAID FIRST GROUP SERVING TO ALIGN SAID ELONGATED ARTICLES FOR PROGRESSION THEREOVER TRANSVERSELY OF THEIR LENGTH, AND SAID SHUFFLE MEMBERS OF SAID SECOND GROUP PROVIDING FOR SORTING OF SAID NARROW ARTICLES FROM SAID THICKER ARTICLES. 